District presentation explains Michigan index scores; elementary growth strong, high-school proficiency and newcomer ELs highlighted

Curriculum staff presented the State of Michigan index scores to the board Jan. 21, walking trustees through how the dashboard is calculated and where individual schools stand.

Mrs. O’Brien, who led the presentation, said the Michigan index score is an accountability dashboard that reports each school’s composite score across multiple weighted measures, and that the district will follow up next month with the annual education report. “This is one of our State of Michigan accountability measures,” she told trustees, and she distributed index score summary sheets for each school.

How the index works

O’Brien explained the primary weights the state assigns: growth (34%), state assessment proficiency (29%), school quality/student success (14%), English-learner progress (10%), graduation rate for high schools (10%) and assessment participation (2%). She said schools that lack data in a particular component (for example, no graduation-rate cohort or fewer than 30 English learners) have the weights reallocated across the remaining measures.

Key takeaways staff highlighted

- Elementary results: Several elementary schools show strong overall index scores; O’Brien cited Buchanan Elementary as an example with an index score she said was 99.4 out of 100. She said the district’s elementary growth scores have been particularly strong in recent years.

- Middle schools: O’Brien highlighted Cooper, Johnson and Riley, saying growth scores are high (examples: Cooper growth index ~90, Johnson ~88, Riley ~92) while proficiency rates remain lower — indicating classrooms and instructional work are producing year-over-year improvement but overall proficiency still needs boost.

- High schools and English learners: O’Brien and board members discussed the effect of newcomer English learners (ELs). She noted newcomer students who spend part of their day in dedicated newcomer programs — particularly at Churchill and Franklin high schools — affect certain index components such as EL progress and participation. O’Brien said district leaders are working on targeted curriculum and supports for newcomers.

- Graduation-rate measure: The board asked and O’Brien clarified that the graduation metric reported in the index is based on four-, five- and six-year cohorts and the dashboard displays a weighted average of those outcomes.

Subgroup thresholds and data access

Staff emphasized that the state shows subgroup results only when cohorts meet a 30-student threshold; otherwise individual subgroup numbers are available to view but are not folded into the state’s subgroup index calculation. O’Brien demonstrated that the MySchoolData website provides detailed breakout tabs that let board members and the public examine subgroup growth and proficiency by school and content area.

Next steps and context

O’Brien said the board will receive the district’s annual education report next month for a deeper dive. Trustees discussed a continued focus on middle- and high-school proficiency while maintaining attention to growth measures.

Speakers quoted or cited in this report were limited to individuals who participated in the curriculum presentation and the board discussion.